Someone You Once Knew
by mr-raindrops
Summary: They say that when someone steps out of your life, another someone steps in. Being disoriented is a natural reaction, because all that is happening is unnatural. Go forward or stay in the past, it's only his decision to make. (fem!Kuroko...in a way, and charadeath)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **hi~ (: I don't really put author notes at the beginning, but I'd just like to say that...well..._technically_ it isn't fem!Kuroko but...in another way_ it is_ o-o' idk how to explain without it ruining everything, so...orz. But to sum it up, her name won't be Kuroko-ish or Tetsuya-ish, though her personality will be about the same... hopefully...;A; I'm sorry if I make her OOC.

There are also a few side characters that probably was be OC's, so please don't mind them and I hope that I didn't just ruin kurobas...

I'm sorry for confusing you, but thanks for actually clicking this story cuz I suck at summaries and all...o-o'

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**Disclaimer: Kuroko no Basuke belongs to Fujimaki Tadatoshi.**

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_..._

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_Someone You Once Knew_

_Ch. 1_

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"Asagi!"

Cerulean eyes blinked, and focused on a ball that was hurling towards her at an alarming speed, closer than she had expected. Reflexively, the small girl ducked her head and held out her arms in front of her face protectively.

The ball hit her squarely on the top of her head, and she flinched as it bounced off, looking almost comical, causing the team to burst into laughter.

It was the punishment for spacing out, though, so she really had no right to complain.

"Pay attention," the strict captain of the volleyball team barked at Asagi, whose expression remained impassive as she nodded and winced, rubbing her head. She paid the price, alright. This was definitely going to give her a bruise. And if she was unlucky, a possible headache.

At least this showed that the team's spiking was improving. Well, except for her, her spikes go straight across the net no matter how high she tries to jump to angle the hit down.

The giggles died down as the girls resumed practice. The captain, Watanabe, studied the movements and techniques of every girl on the court with their manager, and Asagi could feel her senior's sharp gaze, causing the turquoise haired girl to concentrate on the rally.

Her eyes kept averting to the basketball hoops today, trying to recreate the image of a tall boy dunking an orange ball in.

She watched as one of her teammate's hands made contact with the ball, sending it flying at the ground, and Asagi automatically dived. A perfect pass to the setter. Still, her mind wasn't exactly focused on volleyball.

Basketball was her class's current module in gym right now, and although she held no initial interest for the sport, she could only be amazed at the obvious talent a redhead displayed. Kagami Taiga was his name, to be exact. The boy who sat in front of her in homeroom, the one who had shrieked like a little girl when Asagi had first introduced herself to him.

Asagi remembered the first day of school. Kagami was a returnee from America, apparently, but she was surprised at his fluent Japanese. Although he sucked pretty badly with literary Japanese, he was gradually improving. He seemed to not have any friends, and so Asagi tried to keep him company. To be honest, she had no friends either at the time, but that was because she was so invisible, as opposed to the intimidating aura the boy emitted. Compared to him, she had no aura at all.

Well, that was before she had joined the volleyball team, where the girls welcomed her with open arms. Though, they still forgot about her sometimes, and panicked when they saw that a ball was about to hit the ground, only for it to be lifted back up by some invisible force. It was sort of a liability at moments like that, for people to crash into her and each other in a hurry to get to the ball. But now, everyone had gotten used to it, expecting Asagi to be already in position at a seemingly bare spot.

Sometimes, Asagi could feel an unfamiliar stare at the side of her head from the direction of the gym doors during practice. Those were the days that the basketball club needed the gym right after them. She would turn and see spiky red-black hair peeking out from around the corner.

Asagi and Kagami ate lunch together often, sometimes on the empty rooftop, sometimes sitting on the staircases, sometimes just in their assigned desks. They faced each other, but didn't talk much, since she wasn't very talkative, and Kagami was too awkward with her, not knowing what subject to converse about.

She'd liked to think that they got along pretty well, maybe possibly being friends. He even passed the ball to her a few times in gym, though she didn't exactly know what to do with it afterwards even though no one had been guarding her. (More like they hadn't even noticed her, but even so, Asagi wasn't the best at sports, and no one would bother with her anyways.)

"Shizuka-chan! Nice dig!" The teal haired girl heard Sayuri, the manager, cheer from one of the benches as she climbed back up to her feet, watching the ball travel back over the net. Her friend's voice had shocked her back into the game, and Asagi was glad that Watanabe didn't catch her mind wandering again.

Asagi couldn't spike well, wasn't the best setter, and wasn't very tall. Her serving was only average, not even a jump serve. The only reason she had gotten into Seirin's volleyball team was because the captain had discovered her insane talent at passing, thus putting her into the position of a libero.

There was a thud as the ball landed on the floor, and Asagi's eyes reverted to a girl flat on her stomach, stunned expression on her face.

"That's it for practice today!" The captain announced, glancing at the clock. "Asagi! Help Nakamura with cleanup!"

As the rest of the team filed into the change rooms, Asagi started to take down the nets. Sayuri seemed to be in a good mood today, humming as she helped fold the net up.

"Hey, Shizuka-chan?" The taller girl lifted one of the poles from its position, raising an eyebrow at her friend, who was struggling to move the heavy metal pole. "Want to go watch a basketball game today?"

At the word 'basketball', Asagi felt a rush of adrenaline and her arms lifted the pole almost too easily. "Who's playing?"

Sayuri grinned. "Our school versus Kaijou! It's just a practice match, but do you know Kise Ryouta?"

The two girls began heading outside to the school's equipment storage room, and Asagi showed no expression."Who's that?" Her voice was so flat that it didn't even sound like a question anymore.

There was an exaggerated gasp, and Asagi didn't pause to wait for her friend as she strode away from Sayuri, who had stopped abruptly after hearing her answer.

"Shizuka-chan! Don't tell me that you really don't know him?! Kise Ryouta! The famous model?" Sayuri squeaked, and Asagi covered her ear with a free hand. "You really don't?! Pretty boy Kise? You don't?!"

The blue haired girl turned the doorknob to the small shed, and she dragged the pole inside. Sayuri came in seconds later, squinting at Asagi and leaned in towards her until their noses were almost touching.

"I know that you're pretty ignorant of the outside world, but come on! Kise Ryouta? Never heard of him?"

Asagi's brow twitched with slight irritation, but it was so subtle that no one would notice. _Ignorant of the outside world? _"Are you suggesting that I'm exhibiting _hikkikomori_ symptoms?"

Sayuri rolled her eyes, and headed outside. Asagi followed, glad to have her personal space back.

"Well, Kise Ryouta's apparently on Kaijou's basketball team. I heard that he was their best player, too," Sayuri babbled, and the other girl tuned her out. She didn't think she could listen any further without gagging.

After changing, Sayuri was nowhere to be seen, and she slung her bag over her shoulders. Sighing, Asagi began to the trek towards the Seirin's entrance. _I really did want to see that basketball game..._

Kise Ryouta did sound familiar, though the name didn't associate itself with a model or anything like that. But that wasn't the reason Asagi was so interested in seeing the match.

To her relief, the Sayuri was waiting for her at the school gates. "Come on! We're going to Kanagawa!" The black haired girl exclaimed, and swung her arm around Asagi's neck, almost dragging her along the sidewalk, earning curious looks from passerby's.

A small smile tugged at the edge of the petite girl's lips as they neared the train station. _I wonder if Kagami-kun will be there._

* * *

The gym was crowded, considering it was only a practice match, but Kaijou seemed like a school that valued athletics from the numerous gyms they had, along with the brand new looking equipment. The floor was so shiny that it showed people's reflections, and it seemed as if Kaijou was a newer school than Seirin from the looks of it.

The match had already started by the time the two girls had gotten there, and Asagi's eyebrows furrowed ever so slightly as she saw that the gym was divided in half. On one side, the practice game was going on, while on the other, Kaijou players were having a _practice_.

How cocky were they?

Sayuri wrapped her fingers around the blue haired girl's wrist and pulled her up a flight of stairs to a platform above. There were already many people viewing from up here, and Asagi noticed that the majority of them were females.

_I guess that's no surprise if a model is here._ She scanned the players, and was pleasantly surprised to see a familiar red haired boy. Cyan eyes followed his movements, as he dunked, ripping the hoop away from the backboard.

The entire gym fell silent, as Kagami let out a loud 'whoop'. Sayuri was gaping like a fish beside her, but Asagi held back a smile.

Kaijou was forced to use the full length of the gym.

She leaned against the railing, cheek in her palm, as she watched the game progress, watched as a blond boy step out onto the court, wearing a #7 jersey for Kaijou. From the dreamy sighs and the squeals (and a bit of slightly insane laughter) from the girls around her, Asagi take that the boy was Kise Ryouta.

"Shizuka-chan, have you ever heard of the Generation of Miracles?" Sayuri gazed at Kise longingly before sliding her eyes over to her expressionless friend. "Kise Ryouta was in it. A group of super talented basketball players."

Asagi didn't move or speak, and eventually, the other girl went back to watching the game.

"There were five of them, and they're all in different schools now. Same age as us, first years. But some rumours say that there was one more member..." The way Sayuri had mumbled those words somehow seemed ominous.

"No one knows who he is, or where he went for high school...or if he even existed at all."

A shiver ran down Asagi's spine at the last part of the sentence.

Kise Ryouta was talented, and even without playing basketball, Asagi could observe that he had a specialty for copying movements. In short, a fast learner. Kagami was like an unrefined piece of jewelry, someone with potential but hasn't had enough experience to make full use of his skills yet. She thought that the outcome of the game was painstakingly obvious, because between the two best players, as of now, it was clear who was better.

So the end of the match was fairly shocking.

"The winner is Seirin! Players line up!"

As happy as she was for her school's victory, Asagi's keen eyes recognized the distracted expression on the blond's face. She hadn't even realized that she had said his name aloud. _  
_

* * *

Kise heard his name from the spectator's platforms, and he glanced up briefly. It surprised him to see a tuft of powder blue hair, and he swore his heart really stopped for a moment. It was something he really had thought he wouldn't ever see again, save for old photos and videos.

('_A__nd in nightmares._')

Blinking, he shook his head, trying to clear his mind. Did losing to a no-name school like Seirin do something weird to his brain? He hoped not. Although...hallucinating wouldn't be so bad, either.

The blond looked up again, and the blue among the sea of black and brown had disappeared. Like it had never existed.

He looked at the winning team again, looking at their players tackle each other with wide grins on their faces. Nostalgia bubbled up in his chest, and Kise found something wet trailing down his cheeks. Blue like the sky, like lake waters, sapphire blue, blue, blue.

A hand reached up to wipe away the tears, but they kept flowing, and the Kaijou ace rubbed at his eyes with the heel of his hands, trying to stop them. However, his attempts failed, and it was all that he could do to prevent himself from openly bawling in front of everyone present.

"...is he crying?"

"It's just a practice match!"

No, that wasn't the reason. But it would hurt less, if he convinced himself that it was, in fact, a shallow reason causing him to cry.

"You idiot!" Kasamatsu's yell reached his ears, and Kise braced himself for a kick that was sure to come. Instead, there was only a gentle slap on the back of his head, which felt more like a pat than anything else. He turned to look into his captain's face, into eyes that contradicted the boy's intimidating expression and rough voice. "Stop crying."

Ah, there. The small forward felt as if he understood now, what a certain "shadow" had said about the feeling of having a _team_. Seeing it from Seirin, seeing it from Kaijou. Victory didn't matter, after all.

_('He really missed them. All of them._')

Kasamatsu proceeded to give a lecture about winning and losing and not giving up, the blond wasn't really sure, as he wasn't listening. After the shorter boy's mouth had stopped opening and closing, Kise tried to give a convincing smile, along with a nod. Let the others believe that he was only upset about losing to Seirin after those two years of never being defeated in middle school.

He remembers a time, almost too distant to be in this lifetime, when his world was filled with vibrant colours every way he had turned. It's only when those colours had faded into monochrome shades did he really appreciate the happiness of the days before.

A shadow had fallen over all of them, smothering the formerly brilliant colours.

The model walked over to Kaijou's bench, reaching down for his towel. He draped it over his head, ignoring the strands that stuck to his sweaty forehead as he concentrated on making it hang in a way so that no one could see his face.

"Congratulation, Kagami-kun," Kise heard a monotone voice softly state, and his eyes watered even harder as he subconsciously lifted his head towards that voice. A voice that was too high-pitched, but nonetheless still familiar in a gut wrenching way.

He froze into a statue as he took in the scene before him.

A short girl, looking up at the redhead of Seirin with the tiniest hint of a smile on her lips. The blankness of those azure eyes, and the matching hair that was messed up as easily as ever when the Seirin ace ruffled her locks gently.

The look of annoyance as she reached up to fix the stubborn hair that were sticking out in every direction.

The name tumbled out of his mouth before he could stop himself. A name that was unspoken for so long that Kise had almost forgotten the sound of it.

"Kurokocchi?"

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**A/N: **KK HERE'S ANOTHER NOTE LOLOL. I'm really sorry about all the rambles about volleyball at the beginning, this fic is kinda for me to pour out all my feelings about SPORTS I MAY NEVER PLAY AGAIN. (though I just sorta got the idea from the In Another Life fic...) but seriously, basketball season is coming to an end and I'm regretting not doing so many things...haha.../cries.

And I hope that Sayuri isn't too annoying. Or Asagi. haha..

SORRY ABOUT NOT WRITING HAPPY THINGS OH GOSH I'M ONTO TORTURING KISE NOW?! (I'm sorry.)

I was really indecisive with Asagi's name, so basically screw it all I just randomly picked two.

_Asagi _is a pale blue (sometimes pale yellow)

_Shizuka_ is just a name that meant calm or quiet, which I think fits the personality pretty well ^^;

Oh, and _hikkikomori_ is someone who shuts themselves in their rooms and are pretty anti-social (LOL so basically, me)

Thanks for reading til the end! /SMOOCHES.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Kuroko no Basuke belongs to Fujimaki Tadatoshi.**

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_Someone You Once Knew_

_Ch. 2_

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Kise's loud voice broke through the chattering of the crowd, and Asagi peeked at him from her peripherals. It was strange. He was facing her direction, but there were no one between the two of them. Who was he talking to? A ghost?

Sayuri snapped her fingers, and Asagi turned to look at her, still trying to smooth her hair.

"That's it! That was his name!" The girl exclaimed, tilting her head up to the ceiling as if she would find all the answers of the universe there. "The phantom sixth man of the Generation of Miracles! K―"

"Kurokocchi! Is that you?"

Asagi felt a sudden heavy weight on her body, and stumbled backwards. For a moment, all she could register was golden hair and alarmed shouts from Kagami. Then, honey coloured eyes blocked out the rest of the world, and she felt arms tightly embracing her small form.

The teal haired girl only had a glimpse of a dazzling smile before Kise buried his face in her shoulders.

She stared straight ahead, shocked expression adorning her features. She could see Kagami marching up to them, and Sayuri standing to the side, gaping.

"Oh my God! Kurokocchi! I honestly...really...been through hell and back! Especially Aominecchi, he―" His words became incoherent, and he babbled muffled sentences into Asagi's uniform.

At first, she was a bit grossed out, as she felt something wet seep through the fabric, and onto her skin. 'This boy needed to take a shower' was the first thought that crossed her mind. But then, Asagi realized he was sobbing, and she raised a hand to awkwardly pat him on his trembling back.

She tried hard not to make a face at how the sweat was making Kise's uniform stick to his skin, but to be honest, she was sort of a clean freak, and she wasn't very good in these types of situations.

Kagami was getting closer. He looked like as if he was going to kick Kise's butt into the next year, and that expression on his face reminded Asagi of an overprotective big brother.

To hopefully save Kise from whatever abuse he was going to receive, Asagi pushed him away. "Er, Kise-kun, was it? I'm sorry. I think you have the wrong person. I'm not this 'Kurokocchi' that you're looking for."

A hand roughly grabbed Kise's jersey, and yanked him away from the short girl. Kagami scowled. "Get away from her, you creep."

The blond freed himself from Kagami's grip, and pouted. "I'm not a creep! I just thought for a moment...that I knew her from somewhere."

Asagi watched a happy-go-lucky mask form over Kise's expression, and she frowned slightly.

"Oh, really now?" The Seirin ace didn't seem convinced, and Kise nodded.

Sayuri suddenly appeared, and with a squeal, held out a pen and a thick notebook towards the model. That seemed to invite a throng of fangirls, and they gravitated towards Kise like moths do to light.

"An autograph, please?"

"You were so cool, Kise-kun!"

"That dunk was amazing!"

"I'll cheer for you, even if you lose!"

Asagi watched as Kagami hopped out from the pack of rabid fans, and for the moment she was glad that her presence was weak, allowing her to thread through the groups of girls. She waited at Kaijou's gym doors for Sayuri to come out of the crowd alive, saying her goodbyes to her school's team as they filed past her out the entrance.

She hoped that her friend would be able to notice her, once she's finished with her business.

And that brought up an interesting thought. How was Kise able to spot her so easily? Even as she had went up to Seirin's basketball team to congratulate them on their win, Kagami had yelped like a scared puppy.

Earlier, right after the game had ended, Sayuri definitely had not noticed that Asagi had gone off by herself, and only realized a short time later, when she was done ogling Kise. She didn't even see her friend standing there with Kagami at first.

Deep in thought, Asagi didn't realize that Sayuri was already in front of her, holding up her notebook with a huge grin on her face. "Shizuka-chan, look at this! Kise-kun signed it!"

Resisting the temptation of rolling her eyes, Asagi nodded. "I noticed."

After Sayuri was done flailing her arms around, Asagi realized what exactly the 'notebook' had been. "Sayuri-san, isn't that a workbook that you're holding?"

The taller girl stilled, and blinked. "This is..."

Asagi took a closer look at it. "The math practice book that we're handing in tomorrow, no less."

The other's face paled, and Asagi steadied her before she could fall over. "S-sensei won't notice..."

"I'm sure he will."

"Can't you just comfort me like a normal person, Shizuka-chan?!" Sayuri wailed, eyes tearing up. Asagi shrugged nonchalantly.

"Be more careful next time."

"That's not comforting! You're just acting like my mother!"

"That's right. Your mother would say the same thing."

Sayuri sniffled. "That's not the point, though! Ah! What am I going to do? I'm going to get killed!"

Asagi shrugged again, but she really did feel sorry for the other girl. "Let's go get ice cream?" She offered, hoping to distract her friend from her impending doom.

At her words, Sayuri immediately lit up. "I'm going to get get a green tea flavoured one! What about you? Vanilla?"

She was like a child. So easy to trick.

Glad that Sayuri had cheered up, Asagi followed her bouncing figure out of the gymnasium.

* * *

"Say, Shizuka-chan? Does Kise-kun know you?" Sayuri asked as she ripped open the package of her popsicle.

The two stood by the convenience store that they frequented in a neighbourhood near their own.

Asagi licked the icy treat she had just bought, and the sweetness of vanilla filled her mouth. "I think he mistook me for someone else." She remembered the way Kise had cried while hugging her like she was his lifeline. Maybe an ex-girlfriend or an old friend that he hadn't seen in a long time and missed? It seemed like the only plausible explanation for the blond's reaction.

After all, Asagi didn't sob like that whenever she saw Sayuri or Kagami.

"He called you 'Kurokocchi'," the dark haired girl recalled, throwing away the colourful wrapper into a garbage bin. She began to walk down the street, and Asagi followed.

They passed by a school. 'Teikou Middle School', a sign by the gate read.

Sayuri glanced at the blue haired girl beside her. "Kuroko Tetsuya."

Asagi's feet stopped moving, and the flavour of the popsicle tasted almost stale. "Who?"

"I was going to tell you earlier, but Kise-kun came up and hugged you. Kuroko Tetsuya was his name. The sixth of the Generation of Miracles."

Then, that makes 'Kurokocchi'...

Sayuri laughed, a bitter sound in Asagi's ears. "So he does exist, if Kise-kun thought you were him. He must like Kuroko-kun a lot, from the way that he acted. Maybe they went to different school? He must miss Kuroko-kun a lot, I guess. I wonder where Kuroko-kun is now."

Asagi nodded slowly, distracted. Sayuri hadn't heard Kise's words.

_"...been through hell and back..._"

Something told Asagi that Kise's behaviour wasn't only because of his affection for this Kuroko Tetsuya.

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"Kagamicchi, who was that girl?" Kise absentmindedly spun the basketball on his fingertip. "She really did look like a friend of mine."

Kise had spotted Kagami lingering beside a basketball court on the way home from his school. Wondering why the other ace was still in Kanagawa, the blond decided to strike up a conversation while he still had the chance.

Kagami scoffed. "Stop calling me that! And you mean the girl you pretty much molested? Why should I be giving you private information about her, you stalker? Should I call the police on you?"

"So mean, Kagamicchi! I don't mean any harm," Kise whined.

To be honest, he was arguing with himself whether he even wanted to know the girl's name. He wanted to see her again, but at the same time, never wanted her to appear again. It hurt a lot to have someone that looked so similar to the small boy nearby. And not in just appearances, either. Her tone of speaking, her expressions, and even the way she had gently patted his back was painfully familiar.

"Kagamicchi, you smell like steak." The small forward clutched the basketball, and look off into the sky. The setting sun dyed the sky a mix of warm colours, and Kise became mesmerized.

"Shut up," Kagami growled. "That's because I just had steak for dinner. And why do you want to know Asagi's name, anyways?"

Kise beamed triumphantly, still looking at the sky. "Aha! So her name is Asagi. She goes to your school, right? She was wearing the same uniform as your coach."

The model had met Midorima earlier, who was being his usual self and had stated that he was only there in Kaijou to gather information about his future opponents. Everyone who knew him well enough would know that it wasn't true.

He didn't tell the shooting guard about Asagi, though.

"So what? What does it matter to you?"

It was heartbreaking to see Seirin's basketball club, knowing that there was someone missing that could have been there with the rest of the team, if only fate had taken a different path.

Kise shook his head. "I was just curious."

* * *

"Aomine-kun! Get your lazy butt down to the gym for practice! Don't you want to get better?" Momoi shrill voice cut through his half-asleep state of mind.

Groggily, Aomine replied, "shut up, woman. If I get any better, I think I'll just quit basketball."

('_But of course, he wouldn't. He'll never stop playing basketball, as much as it hurt to do so._')

"There's someone out there that will be stronger than you, Aomine-kun." He heard the soft rustle of fabric as Momoi sat down beside him, and a hand plucked the magazine off his face. The bright sun made his veins visible from behind his lids, and Aomine grunted, shielding his eyes from the light.

"Really, now?" He was just humouring her, and she knew that too. "Who said?"

"_I_ did. And..." The girl hesitated. "Tetsu-kun definitely did."

It became quiet, and the power forward made no move to respond to her statement. Aomine listened to Momoi's breathing, and matched it with his own. He felt the contraction and expansion of his lungs with each puff of air, concentrating on not thinking.

The searing heat of the sun finally made him break the silence.

"Ah. It's really hot. Get me a Pocari."

Horikita Mai's magazine was thrown into his face, and Aomine felt an edge of one of the pages slice his cheek. The pain made him open his eyes, and he saw Momoi leaning over him, a conflicted expression on her face.

A drop of hot liquid landed on the cut, stinging it as if it was rubbing alcohol.

"If you have time to cry, go get me something cold," the tanned ace snapped sharply, and Momoi wiped her eyes with the sleeves of her sweater. Aomine felt the slightest bit of guilt gnaw at his insides, but it was overwhelmed by an unexplained anger.

"Aomine-kun..."

He wished more than anything that she would call him 'Dai-chan' again, instead of that nausea inducing name.

"Satsuki, leave me alone."

_('Go away, go away. I don't want your sympathy._')

Hearing that, Momoi huffed and she disappeared from view. The shadow she had cast over his face with her head was gone, and left the sun's rays almost blinding him.

Aomine heard the door to the rooftop slam shut, and the echoes of her footsteps soon faded.

He let out a sigh.

That nostalgic name, basketball, the pureness of the blue sky that Aomine desperately wanted erase from his vision, the sincere look in Momoi's eyes...

It reminded Aomine too much of _him_. And it made him sick to the stomach.

* * *

**A/N:** This proves I can't write happy stories, or it'll make you barf.

but I'm sorry if this makes you throw up as well. (I almost did)

and also LOL I realized that in the first chapter I wrote something like "impassive expression while she winced" and that mistake was so funny i just needed to apologize for it as well lolololol.

Thanks for reading (: It's 2013, I think we should be able to send food through the internet by now. (if we could then I'd send you cookies)


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: Kuroko no Basuke belongs to Fujimaki Tadatoshi.**

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...

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_Someone You Once Knew_

_Ch. 3_

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The shrill whistle sounded again, and Asagi resisted the urge to cover her ears and escape to her own reality where she didn't have to stand beside a group of high school boys screaming out whatever inappropriate thoughts that passed through their minds at the referees, down on the courts so far away that it'd be impossible to hear. Not to mention, both she and Sayuri had woken up late that day, which resulted in them way above the courts, above the stadium seats, where it should have been a pathway for audience members to get around, but somehow had turned into standing room only.

She assumed it shouldn't have been surprising, seeing that it was the Interhigh Finals, Touou against Kaijou. Even without their respective aces, Asagi was sure that the two teams would have given an outstanding performance as two national level veteran high schools.

From this perspective, everyone on the court looked like they were from a different world, too far away to ever reach. The players were hard enough to identify, but the benches were like miscellaneous little spots, though that was maybe too much of an exaggeration. Aomine Daiki slammed the ball into the hoop, and Asagi could see, even from this distance, that the entire backboard shook violently. He was a monster, and almost automatically, the teal haired girl imagined the boy spiking a volleyball with that strength of his.

It was a disturbing thought, and it made her forearms throb just thinking about it.

Asagi really hadn't wanted to come watch the game today, but Sayuri managed to drag her to the stadium with a little help in the form of bribery. She tightened her grip around her vanilla milkshake, recalling the day before at lunch. It was a rare day when Sayuri didn't have any of her student council responsibilities to oblige to, so the two girls ate together, without the presence of Kagami, who had suddenly felt like eating with the basketball club.

The redhead may not have looked like it, but he really respected people's privacy.

[...]

"Shizuka-chan, let's go watch the Interhigh tomorrow!" Sayuri eyed the last few pieces of food in her bento container, picking up her _tamagoyaki_ with her fingers. Asagi almost made a face at the unsanitary practice, but she tried to keep her features void of emotion as she chewed the straw in her juice box.

"Why, is Kise Ryouta playing?"

There was a strangled sound from Sayuri. "D-does Kise-kun have to be there for me to watch a basketball game? Do you think that lowly of me?" The brunette laughed, though it sounded too nervous to be natural. She plopped the eggs into her mouth, studying her food as if they were textbook material, avoiding meeting azure blue eyes.

Asagi sucked up some juice, before it went down the wrong pipe and she began to cough. Hacking her lungs out, it ruined her stoic facade, so she allowed herself to be disgusted at Sayuri's earlier actions as well while she was at it. The fruit flavour was to zesty, too tart. She preferred the subtle sweetness of her vanilla drinks, instead, which had most people she knew commenting about how her taste buds were off because her milkshakes weren't just a_ little sweet_. "You're stuttering. That's the only reason why you're so obsessed with basketball," the small girl pointed out bluntly, though her voice was a bit strained because of all the earlier coughing.

Sayuri blushed, and she reached into her lunch container's chopstick compartment, which had Asagi sighing audibly in relief.

"Sayuri-san, I know you have a crush on Kise-kun, so you don't have to be uncomfortable admitting things like that," cobalt eyes met wide brown ones, and Asagi set her juice box down on the desk beside a pile of books. Classmates were beginning to file into the room, a signal of lunch coming to an end. "And I'm getting quite infatuated with basketball as well, so there's nothing wrong with that either. As long as we concentrate in volleyball practice and in games, it's alright to like another sport."

Sayuri's initial surprise wore off, and she rolled her eyes. "Shizuka-chan, you don't even pay attention in practice, do you? Don't lie to me."

It was true, though. Recently, Asagi had been a little _too_ into basketball. It didn't help either that Sayuri was towing her off to Kaijou's matches at every chance that she got.

So maybe it would be a good idea to refuse to go to the last of Interhigh's games.

These few days were also busy for her and her family, as they were moving from their larger house into an apartment in anticipation of a new job her father had gotten, requiring him to travel around the country more often than not, thus having a small apartment for just Asagi and her mother would save more money. Volleyball already took up much of her schedule, and Asagi's mother might just kill her for not helping with moving furniture and belongings.

The warning bell rang, catching everyone's attention like police sirens. Asagi stuffed the empty juice box into her bag, and said blankly, "well, I don't think I should go tomorrow, if it's distracting me from volleyball."

Somewhere inside of her, Asagi hoped that Sayuri could hear the childishness of her words, could hear the way she was using Sayuri's earlier statement against her, wishing that her friend would somehow force her to watch the basketball game, just so that she could have some sort of excuse for neglecting her more responsible side.

It worked, almost like magic.

"Shizuka-chan!" Sayuri cried, though it was lost in the mix of squeaky chairs being pushed back and voices of students making conversation. "Just come! It'll be fun! You'll regret it so much that you'll never focus on volleyball again if you don't!"

Asagi didn't answer immediately, because, admittedly, she was also hoping for some sort of reward that would be offered if she agreed to go.

She could be considered some sort of a evil genius, proven when Sayuri added, "I'll treat you to a vanilla shake from Maji! Even from that fancy cafe across the street from my house! Come, please! I heard that they add special toppings on their milkshakes! Real gourmet, I tell you!"

The pale girl blinked. To be honest, Asagi liked her milkshakes unadulterated, with only the taste of vanilla and sugar to be present. Toppings didn't sound bad, she'd seen it at Maji Burger, however, that cafe had a good reputation for putting weird-but-tasty spins on their menu items.

It was a good deal, so Asagi decided to end her friend's suffering right there and then.

[...]

The final buzz rang in her ears, and she watched with some sort of sick fascination as Kise fell down, the thud from his body making contact with the floor synonymous with the basketball landing along with him.

"Oh, Kise-kun," Sayuri teared up beside her, and Asagi jolted, as if waking from a trance. "That looked like it hurt!"

Aomine stood for a few moment, seemingly catching his breath, or maybe just to revel in the glory of beating his former teammate, who knows. Then he turned away, almost coldly, and traipsed towards where the rest of Touou were lining up, not even helping Kise up.

Before Sayuri could start crying, Asagi took her by the elbow and began to lead her away from the railings. The tension from the court could be felt even from up high, but nonetheless, the crowd cheered so loudly that Asagi could barely hear her own thoughts.

The two ended up on a bench in the hallway, where it was now crowded, as it was an intermission between the last game and the next. Teams strode by in their uniforms, and Asagi sipped on her milkshake. She had been less adventurous than she could have, adding some normal toppings like chocolate chunks, instead of the strange avocado and cashew combination Sayuri had in her own strawberry shake.

The girl sat, staring at her lap, getting emotional over the game, though Asagi had to admit, it wasn't _just_ a game. The tension in the stadium between the two aces suggested more personal reasons for Kise and Aomine.

Asagi waved at Kagami as Seirin passed by, who gave a small nod of acknowledgement in return. Their school hadn't made it to the finals, but it was already miraculous enough that they were able to make it to the Interhigh competition in first place, considering that they were a new school. The team must have wanted to come watch the rest of the Interhigh.

"Are we going to watch the next match too?" Asagi inquired when Sayuri didn't speak up for approximately five minutes, which was a rare occurrence. As much as Asagi would rather watch some more matches, she had some boring responsibilities to attend to at home, sorting boxes and helping move furnitures, though it would help keep her away from basketball.

Now that the game was over, and all the fans' yelling was gone, she kept replaying Aomine and Kise's dunks in her head. She had too much of a thing for dunks, Asagi realized sourly. Compared to Kagami's dunks, though, those two were a level beyond.

The other girl sighed. "I guess we should go home. I just wish I could go talk to Kise-kun or something, see if he's ok."

"I'm sure he would appreciate your concern," Asagi said, sarcasm dripping from her words, although her tone was as flat as ever. "I'm going to throw the cup away."

She stood up, and navigated through the steadily thinning crowd, dissipating to go watch the next game. When she finally found a garbage bin, she saw the slightly hunched back of a tanned boy clad in a black track pants and sweater slowly retreating into the distance, no signs of his teammates anywhere. Furrowing her brows ever so slightly, Asagi found her way back to the bench where Sayuri sat, slumped over, moping about the way her idol had lost and she couldn't do anything of comfort for him. Not that he would have wanted a complete stranger to comfort him, or at least that's what Asagi thought.

That dejected look in her eyes and the lips that turned down in a frown made her think of Aomine's lonely form as he walked away by himself from a victory.

* * *

The doorbell rang, and irritated, Asagi went to answer the door, which was unlocked for the ease of moving cardboard boxes into the apartment. It couldn't be her parents, who drove off to retrieve more boxes, leaving Asagi to unpack by herself. She was screaming internally at the sight of the twenty other untouched boxes.

Yanking open the entrance, she said in a too-sharp voice, "hello?"

Her eyes met amethyst orbs, which widened in shock as the other girl took in the sight of Asagi. For a possibly delusional moment, Asagi thought she saw the girl's face crumple up like she was about to cry, before her features smoothed out.

"Hi! I heard you're just moving in! I'm your neighbour, Momoi Satsuki!" Momoi beamed, then flung her arms around Asagi, embracing her tightly. The intimate gesture from someone she had just met surprised Asagi, but then it wasn't an uncommon occurrence the past few days. "I was going to bring you some cookies, but they disappeared from the plate for some reason this morning. Would you like to come over for some snacks? We look about the same age, I think. We can be friends!"

Asagi made an effort to politely wriggle her way out of the pink haired girl's hold. "Nice to meet you, Momoi-san, I'm Asagi Shizuka. My parents aren't here right now, they're still moving some things," she replied vaguely. She tried to look apologetic, which was hard for her, as the feeling wasn't genuine and she wasn't very good at making faces in general. Asagi somehow got the feeling that she would be crushed to death with hugs if she accepted the invitation, and frankly, she wanted to get all the arranging and unpacking of her belongings over with. "Maybe we can visit another time?"

"Oh, bother! Let's just leave them a note!" Momoi's grin widened, and she grabbed the shorter girl's hand. "Come on! My parents aren't home, either, but they want to get to know you guys better, so my mom will have my hide if I don't welcome you properly."

Momoi began to drag her down the hallway, after closing the door on the way out of the apartment, and Asagi wondered how she and Sayuri would get along considering their similarly forceful natures.

"How old is Shizu-chan?" The other turned her head to look at Asagi trailing behind her. Asagi raised an eyebrow at the nickname. For all Momoi could have knew, she could have been an exceptionally young-looking twenty-four year old, which would have killed all the chances of them being friends willingly.

"Fifteen."

Momoi stopped in front of a door, and pushed it open, letting go of the teal haired girl's hand. Instantly, the burnt smell of baked goods and sugar assaulted Asagi's nose. "Me too! I guess it's not that big of a surprise though, right?"

She led the pale girl down a dimly lit corridor, into what Asagi assumed was Momoi's bedroom. It was filled with the usual bed and desk, and lots of stuffed animals that Momoi brought from her childhood. A single small framed picture sat on the window sill, but that was all there is in terms of visible photographs on display. An old photo album on the bed sheets, along with many pieces of papers cluttered with so many words that it made Asagi's vision swim looking at it.

The other excused herself to get some food and tea for the two, and Asagi took to chance to sit down on the floor beside the bed. Unknowingly, her eyes wandered over to the photo, given a sheen by the sunlight. There was a smaller, cuter version of Momoi, and a dark skinned boy. Scrunching her brows, Asagi shifted to get a better view of the picture, or more specifically, the boy.

It couldn't be...

The basketball he held almost confirmed the fact, but the pure joy in his expression made Asagi unsure, made her scrutinize his face once again.

"Here, Shizu-chan," a pack of rice crackers dangled in front of Asagi's eyes, making her lean back before Momoi could accidentally hit her forehead with it, but to her relief, instead of swaying the crackers back and forth like it seemed like she was going to do, Momoi simply dropped the package in her lap. In her other hand, she held a tray full of tea cups and more _senbei_ packs with perfect balance. "I really wanted to serve you homemade cookies, though. What a shame."

There was a minuscule part of Asagi that was relieved for whatever the reason was that those cookies had poof-ed into thin air, because judging from the smell, she could have died from consuming it. "Thank you, Momoi-san. This is more than what I should be asking for."

Momoi set the tray down on the carpet before plopping down beside Asagi. "No need to thank me! We're going to be living next to each other, after all!" She began to open one of the packages. "So which school does Shizu-chan go to? I go to Touou."

Asagi wondered for a brief moment what sort of connection the girl had with Aomine Daiki, because at the point it was clear that the boy in the photo was the famed ace of the Generation of Miracles. (She really was getting too involved in basketball matters, and her captain, who was just a tiny bit insane about "being faithful to volleyball", would honestly kill her if she strayed any further.)

"Seirin High School." Asagi watched as Momoi's hands froze on their way up to her mouth along with the crackers she was holding.

"Eh? Did I hear...Seirin?" The peach haired girl chuckled and bit into the crunchy snack, mumbling incoherent sentences.

Puzzled, Asagi nodded, and Momoi coughed, crumbs flying everywhere as she made a show of clutching her throat as if she really couldn't breathe. "Is there something wrong?"

"N-no! I was just...surprised," she said, and grabbed a cup of green tea, chugging it so fast that Asagi was half expecting for that to also go down the wrong pipe. The teal haired girl reached over and patted Momoi on the back, earning a grateful look in her direction. "It's just―" Momoi cut herself off with a sharp inhalation of air. She glanced uneasily at the shorter girl sitting beside her, and her lips quirked up in a shy smile, one that might show up on a middle school student's face right as they were confessing their feelings. "Someone special to me wanted to go to Seirin, too, but...he never got to."

Asagi took in the dreamy look in Momoi's magenta orbs, as if she was looking at something of an unworldly beauty, one that only she could see. "What's he like? This person Momoi-san likes."

At the straight forward words, Momoi's face heated up, and she rested her cheeks in her palms, possibly trying to conceal her reddening skin. "H-he's..." Momoi started, shooting a look at Asagi before continuing without denying that she did have a crush on someone. "He's unpredictable. He's really sweet, he's polite, a-and..."

Momoi tilted her head back so that it was resting on her bed, staring at the ceiling, taking an unsteady breath as she closed her eyes, looking as if she was reminiscing about the past. "Tetsu-kun's my first love. He's one of the most special people to me."

"He sounds nice," Tetsu-kun, huh? Asagi leaned back against the bed, shocking herself when a part of her neck was touched by the sharp edges of stiff paper. She turned to see that it was the photo album, and her eyes landed on a picture of three best friends.

Asagi had to hold back a gasp, because there, in Aomine Daiki's headlock, was a boy who looked exactly like her.

* * *

**A/N:** I just wanted to say, I don't think you should try avocado and cashews on milkshakes lol (actually i wanna try that now, but don't listen to me)

I should be sleeping now, haha, not typing this up...(btw cottage cheese is kinda gross and addicting at the same time, I think I need to go see a doctor. Like it's not exactly sour but it's not exactly salty either, MAKE UP YOUR MIND BECAUSE YOUR INDECISIVENESS IS MAKING ME GAG o.o)

And OMG the Teikou Arc! ;A; _They actually look like middle school students instead of professional athletes _/shot.

anyways, thanks for reading ^_^


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: Kuroko no Basuke belongs to Fujimaki Tadatoshi.**

* * *

...

* * *

_Someone You Once Knew_

_Ch. 4_

* * *

Still shuddering from the chilly air outside, Asagi trekked up the stairs to her floor, the conditioned air blasting full force at her before steadily fading away. Winter was coming early this year, and she was glad that her family had finished hauling their belongings from their old house while it was still warm enough to do so.

The blue haired girl had come to known Momoi Satsuki well over the course of a few weeks, not too surprising considering the other girl's outgoing personality, although Asagi still couldn't erase the image of her identical twin from her mind. The boy's calm demeanor was prominent even through the 2D paper, even though Asagi had no idea what sort of person he was.

She didn't try to pry into Momoi's personal matters that the other girl didn't willingly share with her, but somehow Asagi had the nagging feeling that the light haired boy was someone important, as treasured as 'Tetsu-kun'.

The most addicting thing (that was the only way she could really describe it) about him was his azure eyes, at first seemingly flat, but at a second glance it was incredibly deep, a special sort of see-through that wasn't actually see-through, but one that felt like she could look right into his soul. Just like the sky. It reminded her of the sky, one of the most beautiful things that she could think of on the spot.

The boy, along with basketball, constantly filled her mind with overactive imagination. Sometimes, the two subjects of her fascination would even merge together into one daydream.

Such as, say, an illusion of the boy standing on the street court Asagi passed by everyday on the way to the apartment building from Maji Burger's, holding a basketball in his pale hands as he tilted his face back to let the sunlight bathe it in its glow, powder blue fringes spilling back exposing his forehead, a content smile playing about on his lips.

Asagi would catch herself, because her breath had hitched too loudly at the time, and it just seemed too real, to the point where it was getting slightly unhealthy. She would blink, and the court would be empty again, urging her to move on, mechanically walking forward towards her new home.

The slight girl pulled open the door to the corridors and slipped through the small opening, the door closing with a click so quiet she barely heard it. She silently navigated down the softly lit hallway, fishing out her keys just as she bumped into someone.

The person yelped, letting out a sound similar to that of a referee's whistle, and Asagi cringed as she looked upwards to identify the figure. She did a double take as she realized that the said person was _Aomine Daiki_, who was gawking at her like she wasn't human.

His mouth quickly snapped close, jaws firmly clenched together as frantic eyes ran over Asagi's face as she stared back at him impassively. Aomine groaned, shutting his eyes as he reached up to knead the crease formed by his furrowed eyebrows. "Jeez, I must be becoming schizophrenic," he muttered to himself, which made Asagi stifle a snort. It gave her a start when Aomine abruptly opened his eyes, his sudden focused, sharp gaze replacing the initially languid one.

"But you sure look real..."

Asagi gave a girlish squeal as tanned hands reached for her, and she back away with her heart pounding in her ears. Aomine squinted at her, having to bend slightly to study her. Asagi wondered if Aomine Daiki was really just a nutjob with an unprecedented talent for basketball.

"Was Tetsu always this girly? His voice was deeper," The basketball player scratched his cheek, seemingly talking to himself again. There was that name, again.

Tetsu, Tetsu-kun. They had to be the same person, especially if the two who mentioned the said person were acquaintances.

Asagi swallowed a lump in her throat as the tall boy's hand flashed out and encircled her wrist, so tightly that it almost completely cut off the blood circulation in that area. "U-uh..." Her voice cracked, and she desperately wanted to wrench her hand away from Aomine, whose strength was creating bruises on her wrist as she spoke. "I'm sorry, but I'm not this 'Tetsu' you're looking for."

Somehow, it felt like deja vu uttering those words.

"I'm Asagi Shizuka, not..." It was as if an electrical shock had ran through her when she realized why. Somewhere inside of her, a light bulb lit up, and Asagi stopped in the middle of breathing, the last puff of breath being exhaled in a hurried whoosh.

Tetsu, Tetsuya. Generation of Miracles. Kuroko Tetsuya.

For Aomine to know another 'Tetsu'? For him _and_ Kise to accidentally assume that Asagi was this 'Tetsu' and 'Kurokocchi', which happened be a part of the phantom sixth man's name?

The boy in the photograph was Kuroko Tetsuya.

As Asagi glanced up, she caught Aomine's expression, piercing eyes wide and disbelieving along with hurt that came out of nowhere, and the hold on her wrist tightened, trembling.

The two stood in a tense atmosphere filled with silence for a minute that felt like an eternity, Aomine constantly searching her eyes while she tried to keep her face as blank as possible. Then he burst out guffawing, so suddenly that Asagi's heart skipped a beat.

"Don't kid around with me, Tetsu," Aomine whispered, in a voice that quivered as much as his hand, sounding as if he was holding back a strangled sob that was just barely staying quiet in the back of his throat. His head lowered, and he was smiling a genuine smile that screamed of something childishly sweet and innocent, reminding her of the framed picture in Momoi's room. His grip loosened, sliding his hands down until they wrapped once more around Asagi's smaller ones. She couldn't help but think that he was thinking of the past, of some happy days that were long over, ones that he'd give almost anything to have back.

Asagi watched as a door slammed open over Aomine's slumped shoulder, revealing a fuming girl. "Aomine-kun! Why are my cookies in the garbage canー"

Momoi gaped at the two of them, standing in the middle of the empty hallway holding hands, Aomine being in another world and Asagi awkwardly shifting around, trying to escape Aomine's firm clasp.

"Er...good afternoon, Momoi-san," Asagi plastered a pleading look on her face, hoping that the other would notice. "Do you two know each other?"

Fortunately, Momoi was quite skilled at observing people, even one as impassive as Asagi, analyzing eyes sweeping over her features as if it was a habit already set in place somewhere inside her brain. "Aomine-kun! Go away! Why are you hitting on someone you just met?!"

Huh? Hitting on..."Ah! No, Momoi-san, it's not what it looks like―"

"Satsuki, I think you need to go to the eye doctor. It's Tetsu, for God's sake. And I'm not hitting on him, I'm just making sure he's real," Aomine broke in, and as if for assurance he squeezed Asagi's pale hand. "See? I can touch him. He's not air."

_Of course she wasn't air! _Asagi's eyebrow twitched, and she swore she saw a brief expression of pain flit across Momoi's face before she glowered at the tanned ace, who returned the favour with a scowl of his own. "_She_," the girl corrected with an irritated edge to her voice that made Asagi think that the two were closer than she would have ever imagined. There seemed to be an air of mutual hate between them that was usually reserved for arguing siblings. "Is real, and _her_ name is Shizu-chan, _not _Tetsu-kun!"

Judging from the way Momoi said that, it confirmed the fact that Tetsu and Tetsu-kun were the same person, at least. So did that mean that the person Momoi had a crush on...

Aomine turned his menacing stare from his friend and redirected it at Asagi, who looked back at him with as much of an icy indifference that she could muster under his heavy gaze.

"You're not Tetsu." The sentence sounded accusing, dripping with betrayed trust. It wasn't like Asagi was pretending to be Tetsuya or anything, but it stung nonetheless, in an intense way that made Asagi want to curl into a fetal position and just cry in an undisturbed place far from any other human being. She wondered if it was how Aomine felt, and if those words were unconsciously designed to make someone sympathize with him and feel the same agony.

"I don't know who 'Tetsu' is," she replied, hoping that her lie was convincing, because she _did_ know, because at this point the pieces of the puzzle had fit together all too perfectly. Although it probably wasn't wise to inform the boy of that small but explicit detail, who currently looked extremely emotionally unstable, ready to break down at any further mention of 'Tetsu'.

Kise's words from that first meeting at Kaijou echoed in her mind, something that randomly popped into her head at the weirdest moment. But perhaps it had a reason for doing so.

_"Kurokocchi! Is that you?"_

No, that crestfallen look on Momoi's face wasn't a part of the illusions her mind made up, that was a part of the excruciatingly stark reality.

_"You have no idea what you did to us. I've been through hell and back."_

That was what the blond had cried and gasped into her shoulders, words lost in the folds of fabric at the time. He had clutched onto her so tightly it was as if he would lose himself if he let go, as if he would be pulled back to that hell that he had just come out of.

_"Especially Aominecchi, he...he's still not back yet."_

Looking at Aomine Daiki now, whose hands, empty of hers, hung limply by his side, Asagi had to wonder if simply by pushing the truth onto him _that she wasn't Kuroko Tetsuya_ was the final step needed to let him fall back into a black abyss full of shadows, a world with eternal and lonely torment waiting for him. A world without his precious Tetsu.

Asagi squeezed her eyes shut, and felt a slight breeze as a body brushed past hers, hearing a door slam somewhere down the hall. There was a sniffle, and she dared to open her eyes to see the most heartbreaking scene of Momoi covering her face with a hand as nonstop tears streamed down her cheeks.

What had happened?

* * *

_Disoriented. That must be the word. _

_Asagi looked around her, looked around the unfamiliar gym. It was slightly shabby by normal standards, the painted lines on the floor had faded colours, and it was marred with scratches and other marks. However, it had a sense of comfort, one that would come naturally if an individual spent enough of their time in one place. _

_Instead of the volleyball nets that she had become so accustomed to seeing, the gym was void of any equipment, save for a basketball in her hand, its rough surface almost smooth from constant usage. She felt more muscles on her body than she was used to, power sweeping her forward as she dribbled to do a lay-up, watching in a hopeful fascination as the ball sailed through the air._

_It was more disheartening than she thought it should be when it missed, bouncing off the rusty rim, not even touching the backboard with the chipping paint, and going off into a direction that she suddenly felt too tired to chase after. _

_The rough yet cheerful voice that resounded throughout the emptiness of the gymnasium made her heart race, as she turned to see a grinning boy approaching her wearing a plain t-shirt and shorts, holding his own basketball. The pure joy on his face made her look twice to check if it really was him, a version of him that only existed in the pictures without a crease between his eyebrows, without a permanent frown on his lips. _

_"That was better than yesterday," he chuckled with a mirth that was foreign to Asagi in the short time that she had known that he existed. _

_"Aomine-kun," the name tumbled out of her mouth before she realized it, and her cheeks uncharacteristically heated up, though that could also be contributed by the exercise. There was a breathlessness that came with saying his name, and it cancelled out some of the disappointment from earlier, though it still weighed heavy in her chest. "I...I think I'm going to quit basketball." _

_Which didn't make any sense, because she wasn't on any basketball team, only volleyball. But that was why it was disorientating, because the world she was in right now only spun backwards. _

_Aomine only raised an eyebrow as he tested the ball a few times, bouncing it up and down, its thuds reverberating throughout the space. "Hah? Why?" Then he seemed to remember something from the way his eyes focused on her figure, then flickered to the basketball that was still leisurely rolling away. "The third string examinations..." _

_Asagi, in this other world, talked like a robot about matters she didn't understand, of stuff that she had not a single wisp of knowledge about. "I don't think I will ever be able to play on the same court as Aomine-kun. Not at this school," however, she comprehended that feeling of longing, though she was only able to empathize, not actually feel, because this was on an entirely different level of intensity. Longing to achieve something that was as possible as being able to physically touch the sun with its cinder inducing heat, it was such an strong passion she wasn't sure if she had known anyone so dedicated to something. And the torturous awareness of the unreachable was what hurt the most. _

_Silence rang in her ears, and eventually Aomine broke through the ringing with his voice. "I..." He paused, sounding as if he was unscrambling a jumble of unorganized thoughts, placing them in the necessary order to form a sentence. "I'm not going to say you can do it for sure if you don't give up. But if you do give up now...there'll be nothing left."_

_His stormy eyes turned to gaze into Asagi's, and she found that she couldn't tear her attention away from the dark skinned boy, more a boy than she's ever seen him. And at that moment, she felt smaller than ever, a small existence among the millions, the billions, but nevertheless, she felt more special than anything she's felt before, as she watched Aomine's lips split into a wide grin. _

_A grin meant for her, for her only. _

Asagi was sitting upright in her bed, the curtains preventing the sunlight from streaming into the dark room, and her breathing was so erratic that she was basically hyperventilating.

That smile was tattooed into her mind the way names and dates and loving words are carved onto stones decorated with flowers and other relics for special people, people who can no longer physically exist.

A smile meant only for Kuroko Tetsuya to see.

* * *

**A/N:** ...I really didn't know how I was gonna write Aomine, so I'm sorry. orz

Uhh...I hope I didn't make him OOC, because I have absolutely _no idea_ what he'd do in this situation. (Frankly, idk what any of the GoM would do ahahaha..idk what I would even do)

I had this explosion of scenarios in my head, and I was scared that if I didn't write them out they would disappear, so...here it is, another chapter. ^^; (plus, sadness is in the air, graduation is around this time of year)

Thank you for reading, and for your support. I really appreciate it, and I'm truly grateful for them :D


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: Kuroko no Basuke belongs to Fujimaki Tadatoshi.**

* * *

...

* * *

_Someone You Once Knew_

_Ch. 5_

* * *

He wasn't sure if he had been dreaming, and if it had all just been some big, ugly nightmare. Well, the confusion it made him feel was what contributed toward it being a nightmare, but other than that, one could say that it was pure bliss.

It had been a dull, bothersome ache, but it was still there. Seeing _him_ again, whether or not it was reality or a dream, just made the pain flare up.

('Or was it _her_?')

Aomine listened to the constant ringing of the his apartment's doorbell, wondering where his grandmother must have gone, because if she was home she would have answered the door by now. He dragged himself out of the warmth of his bed, scratching his scalp as he slowly trudged to the door. The tanned boy flung open the door, revealing the surprised face of Momoi Satsuki, whose index finger rested on the doorbell button, ready to press it again.

"What's up with you, Satsuki? You're disturbing my sleep," he grumbled as he stepped aside to let the girl into the apartment, shutting the door behind her. He noticed that she was gripping a plastic bag in one hand, though the content wasn't clear.

"Shut up, Aomine-kun," Momoi automatically replied, without any emotion in her tone of voice, as she kicked off her shoes and headed to the kitchen. "It's three o'clock in the afternoon, I bet you haven't even eating breakfast yet!"

At that, Aomine's drowsiness vanished immediately and he swore that he felt his heart stop for a second, before hurrying after his childhood friend to stop her from entering the kitchen, where she would probably work her black magic to conjure up more inedible burnt crap. Momoi crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at Aomine, who guarded the entrance with a vigour that was never present anymore in basketball.

To tell the truth, just a few weeks ago, Aomine had begun to be able to tolerate the pink haired girl's cooking with only a bit of abdominal cramping (at least there's no vomiting anymore), but when his grandmother came from the countryside to visit some friends and her family, he had been _just_ a little spoiled in the food department. In short, Aomine was no longer immune to Momoi's poison, and therefore, he'd have to stop her at any cost from touching anything in the kitchen at all, or he'd be at death's door in just a few hours.

('But maybe that wouldn't be as bad as he had initially thought, though at this point, he was pretty sure he was going insane, or maybe seeing ghosts.')

Momoi tapped a foot impatiently after the two had stood there for a minute or so. "Aomine-kun, what are you doing?"

"Saving my life," he drawled, was rewarded with a punch on the face, stunning him for a moment before he realized that the girl had charged past him into the kitchen. He was about to go after her again, but she set the bag she had been holding earlier onto the small dining table, pulling out a lunchbox.

Momoi glared at him as he drew near to inspect the food that she had brought, which to his relief was her mother's cooking. "Mom wrapped dumplings last night. Now sit down."

Aomine idly grabbed a pair of chopsticks from the nearby utensil drawer, and pulled out a chair to plop down into, stretching out his lanky legs as he dug into the pan fried dumplings. The Touou manager sat on the opposite side of the table, a hand propping up her face as she observed Aomine gulp down the food as if he hadn't eaten in ages.

"Say, you were acting weird yesterday," Momoi commented as the tanned boy shoved another dumpling into his mouth. "You should really apologize to Shizu-chan. I don't think she takes it well being flirted with upon the first meeting."

Aomine paused, and blinked, puzzlement evident in his expression, though dread settled in the pit of his stomach like sediment sinking to the bottom of a river. "Who?" He knew who, but he couldn't help asking, because maybe he just misheard or his mind was playing tricks on him again.

Momoi seemed to know exactly what had been going on inside of Aomine's mind, and she sighed, folding her arms on the table to rest her chin on. "Asagi Shizuka-chan."

The room fell quiet, and the power forward slowly set down the chopsticks along with the uneaten dumpling. His appetite was gone now, as good as Momoi's mother's cooking tasted, which was really too bad.

His hand, which was placed on the table, curled into a tight fist, making his tan skin stretch over his knuckles, and he scrutinized them to avoid the other's eyes. Momoi wrapped her own hand around his in an attempt to bring some comfort to him.

It wasn't like Aomine was the only one with an inexplicable amount of regrets, both about mistakes and things that never got the chance to be experienced, but he was the only one who spent 99% of his time pondering over such thoughts. Even Kise, who often blabbered on about Kuroko like nobody's business, seemed to be moving on and his eyes seemed less red nowadays.

"I know," the peach haired girl slowly said, tone with a distinct determination in the still air. "_Dai-chan_."

Aomine's head shot up abruptly at the old nickname, something that he had almost forgotten the existence of. It was too nostalgic, and nostalgia wasn't very good for him right now as someone who is better off digging himself out of the past. Apparently time conceals scars, and eventually the pain would ebb to something almost non-existent, but Aomine wasn't ready to let go yet.

('He was scared that if he forgot, then everyone else would forget as well. For a boy who went unnoticed almost all his life until he spoke up and scared the crap out of people, wouldn't it be too easy to be forgotten when he was no longer there to speak up again?')

"I miss him too, you know," Momoi softly said, holding Aomine's gaze with her magenta orbs. When he didn't respond, she went on, "she's like another Tetsu-kun, though, isn't she?"

Aomine slipped his hand away from his friend, hurt registering in his eyes before anger kicked in. "Shut up."

Momoi frowned. "I'm not finished, Aomine-kun. No one can replace Tetsu-kun, you know that."

Of course he knew, but that girl, Asagi, was it?

('Though he knew that he won't be able to forget her name, not ever.')

Being around her had been like being around Kuroko, and Aomine felt ashamed for even believing for a second that she was his former 'shadow', because Kuroko will always be Kuroko, not some random stranger that had decided to pop up at the worst possible period of his life.

...But she was like a shadow; not the real thing, but close enough. Her face inevitably appeared in his head, stoic demeanor bringing back a collection of memories he'd rather not be reminded of, though another part of him wanted to think of it, to remember.

Aomine's mix of contradicting emotions must have shown up on his face, because Momoi stood up, mouth open as if ready to reprimand him for thinking something inappropriate. "Daiー"

"I said _shut up_, Satsuki!" He heard the screech of chairs legs scraping against the hard tile floor, and before he knew it he was already slamming the door of the apartment, speedwalking his way out of the building.

The Touou ace knew that it wasn't healthy to be stuck in the past like this, Momoi had annoyed him enough times for him to store that information in his brain. Still, he couldn't decide which would be more painful ー leaving Tetsu behind, or taking his memories everywhere he went.

Something white drifted down to land on his left eyelash, blurring his vision. He blinked, and several more fluffs floated down from the grey sky. Great, Aomine hadn't thought of taking a jacket with him when he stormed out of the apartment. At least there was no wind.

He sighed, finding a nearby bench to sit on along the pathway, and let the cold chill him thoroughly to the bone.

* * *

_"Every snowflake is different," Kuroko Tetsuya said, staring wondrously at the snow slowly whirling around in the still air, looking like something out of a snowglobe._

_"I know that," Aomine grumbled as he brushed off bits of white from his short hair, glittering in the lamplights. It wasn't quite dark enough for them to be on yet, but the light provided a strange comfort._

_Kuroko shifted his schoolbag as he lifted his face towards the colourless sky to catch a few crystals on his tongue. Aomine watched with an odd sense of peace blended with a subtle fascination, and stuck a hand out to catch the snowflakes. _

_He watched the snow melt as it landed on his warm skin, but in the brief moment it had contrasted against his hand, Aomine had seen the complicated patterns in the small but delicate crystal. _

_"Once it melts, there's not another like it," Aomine blinked, turning to the teal haired boy beside him, who was peering at him from under his locks of hair. "There might be one that, at first glance, looks the same, but in the end, it's still different."_

_Aomine studied the other, noticing details that he had never seen before, like Kuroko's slightly crooked smile and imperfect teeth and the way that his cerulean orbs stood out against his alabaster skin. He inhaled and exhaled, vapour rushing out into the crisp air._

_"What do I do, Tetsu?" _

_They were in an entirely different world, separated from all living things, in a place where time froze and Aomine noted the amused look glimmering in Kuroko's eyes as the latter glanced up at him. _

_"It's your life, Aomine-kun," he stated. "It's your choice to make." _

_With that, the wan boy stopped walking, tilting his head upwards once again, bathed in a soft glow from the streetlight above. Aomine's feet stumbled as half of him tried to stop so he could wait for the other to catch up, while the rest of him tried to keep going._

_Before he could land harshly on the ground blanketed with snow, Aomine steadied himself, but his bag fell. He bent down to pick it up, shaking the fluffy snow off of it. _

_The power forward twisted back around, to call out to Kuroko, but found that there was no longer anyone there_.

Aomine's eyes fluttered open groggily, still in swathed in the surreal realm between dream and reality. It's when he realized he was in his room, lying on his bed, did he feel hot tears running down his cheeks.

It was the time they had walked home from a late basketball practice, but the flashback had included twists of his current predicament, to lightly put it.

_Move forward or backwards, it's your decision_, the Teikou sixth man had seemingly meant to say through his words. But Aomine was afraid that if he looked forward, his 'shadow' wouldn't be there following him anymore.

* * *

**A/N: **omg there are feels waiting everywhere just waiting to assault me gosh. AGHHH EVERY ANIME/MANGA/FIC/FANART IS OUT TO GET MEEE.

(Those are the waiting feels, hiding in the bushes to ambush you)

(such as Infinite Skye's new story :D)

but bwahahaha Aomine and Asagi are both dreaming about the past (;

LOL ANYWAYS THANKS FOR READING HAHA I hope you liked it, thoughts and constructive criticism welcomed!


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: Kuroko no Basuke belongs to Fujimaki Tadatoshi.**

* * *

...

* * *

_Someone You Once Knew_

_Ch. 6_

* * *

"Hurry it up, Aomine-kun! We're going to be late for Shizu-chan's game!"

Asagi locked the door securely, turning the knob for confirmation before adjusting her spots bag into a more comfortable position. The loud sound of the two childhood friends bantering resounded throughout the hall, and it was a miracle that none of the neighbours have complained yet in the past twenty minutes. The door of Aomine's apartment was left ajar, which didn't help blocking the disturbances from being heard outside.

Sighing, she poked her head into the foyer, and spotted Momoi dragging a bedraggled Aomine towards the living with a toothbrush still hanging out of his mouth. He turned his head in her direction and blearily blinked the sleep out of his eyes as his focus suddenly sharpened.

The atmosphere between the two of them weren't as tense as it was during their first meeting, but it was a little weary, if not awkward. It sometimes seemed as if Aomine was considering philosophical thoughts whenever she was within a ten meter radius (which is kind of creepy), but other times he acknowledged her as he would anyone else, with no negative nor positive attitudes specially reserved for her.

Asagi supposed that it had something to do with Kuroko Tetsuya. She figured that the other powder haired boy must have had something terrible happen to him for his friends to react the way they did. There was a thought, a guess in the back of her mind that she refused to think of, but to tell the truth, it was a possibility.

"Let go, Satsuki, jeez," Aomine snapped, and Momoi released him quickly all the while glowering at him as she rummaged through her bag for breakfast. She tossed the boy a bread wrapped in plastic, and Asagi caught the black ink on the packaging reading 'Hokkaido Milk Bread'. It was a relief that she didn't have to deal with any accidental death today, because just the day before Momoi had brought over omelettes she had made with a new recipe, and boy did it look like dark matter.

Momoi stuffed half of a new piece of bread inside her mouth and began to chew furiously. Aomine yawned, taking the toothbrush in one hand while the milk bread stayed untouched. "Why don't we just eat on the way there?"

The pink haired girl swallowed and had to catch her breath before chiding Aomine. "It's rude to eat while walking, you idiot! Now _eat_!"

After being scolded for the umpteenth time ("That bedhead, Aomine-kun! Brush your hair! You're not―"..."Aomine-kun, zip your jacket up, you'll get a cold."), the trio somehow made it to the streets outside without Momoi storming off in anger at the Touou ace's disinterest at her concerned but lecturing. Asagi was getting quite used to their antics, even though it hasn't even been a month since they had met.

She stole a glance at Aomine, whose expression told her that his mind was elsewhere, and she turned back to frown at the sidewalk beneath her feet, wondering if it was because of her, if it was something connected to Kuroko.

Asagi's absorption in the powder blue haired boy as well as basketball had, if anything, increased. The 'phantom sixth man' of the Generation of Miracles sounded almost enchanting to her, and Sayuri had cocked her head to the side when Asagi had inquired about the boy. The former had been surprised to learn that such a player actually existed, but apparently he had kept such a low profile that people weren't sure if he was just something fabricated in others' minds, and that made it even harder to disclose which high school he had gone off to.

That is, _if_ he had gone off to high school.

"―chan! Shizu-chan! Look, it's snowing!" Momoi whacked Asagi on the arm, snapping her out of her thoughts. Blinking owlishly, the teal haired girl watched a snowflake dance across the bridge of her nose. The other girl was admiring the intricate designs of the crystals on her jacket sleeve, musing, "how pretty!"

Letting her lips quirk up into a small smile, Asagi held out a hand to trap a few fluffs in her palm, feeling it melt into cold drops of water upon contacting her skin. Aomine was scowling as he pulled his scarf around his face more snugly until his expression couldn't be seen anymore.

* * *

It was at the entrance of the stadium where the three separated to go their own ways, Asagi to the changing rooms and the others to the seats. However, their journey was disrupted by an unexpected encounter.

"Ki-chan? It _is_ Ki-chan! How are you?" The girl bounded over to a familiar blond while Aomine strolled after her at his own leisure. He wasn't looking forward to talking with Kise, especially not after Kaijou's defeat during Interhigh, even if the other currently looked as cheerful as he had ever been. Their conversation before and at the end of the match had been something that troubled Aomine even more than the actual game, filled with something like guilt for not helping Kise up after he had fell and disappointment that he had won. No, not disappointed at Kise for losing, but disappointed at himself for winning.

Not to mention, it bothered him quite a bit that Kise was greeting Momoi so ecstatically while he was still wallowing in the misery of the past.

When he caught Kise taking a peek at his face, the other narrowed his amber eyes at him, before averting his gaze back the Touou manager, sporting a grin on his face as a response to something Momoi had said.

[...]

"I met this girl the other day," the small forward started as Aomine arrived with a bored expression, leaning against the wall outside of Touou's locker room and not addressing the latter in his usual peppy way, but it was in sorts, a relief. But when Kise had such a solemn demeanor on his face, the news could never be positive.

"When do you not meet girls?" Aomine retorted, intent on passing him to the change room, but Kise held an arm out to block his path. Their relationship, no, _everyone's_ relationship had been a little tense ever since _it _had happened. Though he didn't like this awkward socializing situation, because he was kind of anti-social these days, he had to admit that he was just a bit jumpy to get the match started. Against Kise, there had to be a challenge waiting, had to be a one-on-one intense enough to get Aomine's heart beating, making him sweat.

Something to distract him, if just for a few seconds at a time.

Kise pouted, but didn't let Aomine through nonetheless. "Well, this girl isn't just _any_ girl. She―"

"Isn't Satsuki the one you usually go to for your girl problems?" The tanned player stepped forward menacingly, but Kise didn't budge and instead moved his entire body to the front of the doorway. "She's probably just playing hard to get or something, model-san. Now shoo." Aomine indicated with his arms for Kise to go back to Kaijou's own territory.

"No, Aominecchi, hear me out," Kise's tone turned even more serious, and Aomine stopped in the middle of a protest. "This girl, she looks exactly like Kuro―"

"Ah! Aomine-kun, there you are!" Momoi's angry voice echoed down the hallway, and Kise's facial expression abruptly changed into his innocent angelic smile. It made Aomine want to throw up a little at how fake it looked. _Kuro..._"You didn't answer my calls! The coach wants to go over our plays!"

The power forward immediately waved her off nonchalantly. _Kuroko_? None of his middle school teammates mentioned that name much anymore, or at least to him anyways, except for Momoi, but even that didn't last long. "We won't need any plays. Just pass the ball to me."

He didn't know what was wrong with the other two, the hint of hurt in Momoi's eyes and the brief fury that flashed across Kise's face at his words. Were they thinking back to their middle school days? Those were the simple times, where nothing was wrong and there was nothing to worry about except to push themselves harder.

It wasn't his fault that he had gotten so good, that he wanted the ball so that he could play against Kise.

Momoi huffed and pushed him into the locker room, which he didn't struggle against because after all, he had been trying to enter since five minutes ago. The room was empty, and the clang of the locker doors shutting echoed through the empty space.

Aomine and Kise didn't have another chat until near the end of the game, when the tricky pass Kise had been trying to make to Kaijou's captain was smacked away. Kise depended on others too much, and when Aomine had told him as much, the blond replied, robotic, "you can't play basketball by yourself, Aominecchi."

The look Kise sent him reminded him of Tetsu back in their third year at Teikou.

Kise had changed, and had grown, matured in matters other than basketball. Aomine could only think of that as he walked home by himself, because he was now getting left behind, still standing at the exact same spot where everything had gone wrong.

[...]

A large bear plopped down on the seat beside Aomine, and he watched Asagi attentively on the volleyball court, because if he lost sight of her for a mere second she would disappear. It was the only thing that diverted his attention from his thoughts of how boring the game was.

('He used to watch Tetsu the same way, the way the short boy would materialize out of thin air on the basketball court')

Wait. A bear? A bear can't plop down into a seat by itself. Aomine whipped his head around to a certain green haired shooting guard, who was apparently glaring at the side of his head. "Midorima! What the hell, are you trying to burn a hole through my head or something?"

"That's not how you greet an old teammate," Midorima scoffed, adjusting his glasses with his bandaged hand, narrowing his eyes. "Are you here to be a creep? I can't imagine any other reason why you'd be at a volleyball game, of all places."

Glaring back at the other ace, he could feel annoyance bubbling up in his chest. "Satsuki dragged me here, ok? Get those dirty thoughts out of your head," Aomine leaned back against the back of the seat, sinking into the soft cushion as he reverted his gaze back to the court. Sea blue eyes scrutinized Seirin's back row and spotted Asagi just as a spike flew directly towards her, her teammates making no move to try for it even as some of the audience started to panic for them. "Why are _you_ here?"

There was no reply, and the tanned player dragged his stare from the match to Midorima's face, his emerald eyes focused on the game. Eventually, the boy opened his mouth, and murmured, "her."

He followed the other's line of vision, and it led him to the teal haired girl, who was getting easier and easier to notice, for him at least. For him who was used to Kuroko, for him who expected for his 'shadow' to always be there.

('That's why it hurt so much more when he turned to his right every time he wanted to complain about volleyball being so much more boring than basketball, and found that it was Momoi sitting there, not Kuroko.')

"Ah, Midorin! I didn't expect you to be here!" Momoi leaned forward so that she could grin at the Shuutoku ace, followed by another mirthful smile from Kise as he greeted Midorima as well. Aomine could feel Kise's stare linger on his face as he pretended to intently watch the second set of the game as a conversation started, carried back and forth between the three with Aomine in the center.

"Don't you think it's ironic?" Midorima's words echoed a little, as if the other was actually standing at another end of a hallway instead of sitting a seat away from him with a stuffed bear between them. To be honest, the bear kind of pissed Aomine off. Or maybe it was Midorima who pissed him off, but then that wasn't uncommon. "She's in Seirin, too."

A nervous chuckle came from Kise, and it irked Aomine to no end. "It's nice watching her though. She's having a lot of fun."

What the Touou ace had deduced was that all of the ex-Teikou team members present had come to see Asagi Shizuka (including himself), for the obvious reasons, though for the life of him Aomine couldn't figure out how Midorima could have found out about the girl. It made him wonder if Akashi and Murasakibara knew.

But it was lonely, because even Momoi ― who he knew had cried every night to sleep until a few weeks ago when she had met Asagi ― was giggling along with that idiot blond and that horoscope freak as a lady started to scream incoherent strings of words at one of the Seirin players for not diving for a ball that sailed right past her, though it was a given that she didn't see Asagi.

Watching the evident smile on Asagi's features grow wider and wider, until she was grinning by the time Seirin had gotten to 25 points, thus winning the match, her happiness was so obvious that he had to tear his eyes away from the figure on the court, digging his nails into his palms to draw blood.

Because that's how Tetsu could have been now, that's how Aomine could have been now.

The only problem was that 'could have' is something that didn't happen.

* * *

**A/N: **Sorry about not answering some of your questions earlier, because I think I'm confusing everyone who read this story LOL so I'll put it here:

**fangirling-girl**: Asagi isn't exactly a reincarnation of Kuroko haha. What I had intended it to be was that she was sort of the parallel universe version of Kuroko, just in the same world as Kuroko LOL. (that could change thought, possibly, you guys have the best ideas honestly!) But yes, she's dreaming about Kuroko's experiences, though she thinks that it's just something her brain made up based on her assumptions of Kuroko and Aomine's relationship haha xD sorry for making you confused :o

**Lady Indecisive**: wow I wish I was that creative omg x'D Like stated above, it's not that deep and it's just a parallel version of Kuroko haha...(I really wanna use your idea now my goodness but i have no idea how i'd incorporate it at this point meep ^^; though I do have an idea now with what you mentioned...) I'm sorry if this disappoints you though orz

**Rasielis**: Thanks for the great idea LOL. I wasn't intending to really reveal what happened to Kuroko at all, and I was sort of on making you guys assume more than having a concrete thing there. But now I guess this could be connected to Calling You; Please Answer Me, if you want? idk haha, I mean it works and all so. xD (genius idea, btw, thanks ^^ and thanks for the constant support!) It's really up to you though, I kind of wanted some open endings in this story /shot.

Thanks for reading, and I apologize for any confusing things in here! But I think I just made it all the more confusing with those replies, so. gomen. orz I'd be happy to hear your thoughts or if you're confused about something, I'd gladly tell you! (hopefully without ruining the entire thing LOLOL)


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: Kuroko no Basuke belongs to Fujimaki Tadatoshi.**

* * *

_Someone You Once Knew_

* * *

_..._

* * *

_Ch. 7_

* * *

It had become a habit of sorts for the two Seirin first-years to head to Maji Burger's right after club activities to re-energize themselves (or in Kagami's case, have a full meal). They'd walk home together after Kagami's little "snack", going their separate ways at a busy intersection near a bookstore Asagi frequented. Sometimes they conversed, but usually they strode along the familiar sidewalk in comfortable silence.

Today was different, and Kagami decided to ditch Asagi in their daily routine of journeying towards the intersection in favour of playing street basketball on the court that seemed to always be void of people.

It was the same court that she always visualized Kuroko Tetsuya on the way home, in the height of her infatuation. His presence was there, after all this time, and she could still create the image of the boy there, trying to dribble without losing the ball, shooting over and over again to get his muscles to remember the movements.

Instead of advancing home without the redhead, Asagi followed him into the fenced area and dropped her bag unceremoniously onto the ground with a thud, settling into a position to watch Kagami practice. He was merely shooting some hoops from the free throw line, but his concentration could make anyone believe that it was a real game and he was making a real foul shot.

It was captivating to observe, the way his eyes brightened and the way his face lit up, just like a child receiving a long awaited present. He went forward to catch a rebound, proceeding with a smooth layup. She could imagine it, it was almost real, Kuroko throwing a ball up for Kagami to receive for an alley-oop.

Asagi was staring almost dreamily like a maiden in love (or something cheesy like that), when a towering shadow fell over her form. She blinked and peered up to see Kagami extending a hand out to her.

"Wanna play together?" He asked, reaching forward to grab Asagi's hand even though she hadn't uttered an assent yet. His grip was loose, although it seemed as if Kagami didn't know his own strength, because he was practically _yanking _her up.

"I'm not very good, remember?" The teal haired girl lifted her weight off the ground before Kagami could accidentally disconnect her hand from her forearm, brushing dirt and dust off of her white skirt. Asagi almost cringed at the memory of her horrible performance in P.E. class during basketball.

Kagami huffed. "I really don't care. It's better than playing alone."

Asagi stared blankly after the ace as he dribbled off to the center of the court before following sluggishly. Maybe she was analyzing things a bit too deeply, but his words tugged upwards at the corners of her lips like invisible strings does a puppet.

She took the stance she remembered players she had studied from matches had been in as she faced Kagami, watching his every move. Even so, knowing what the power forward was about to do with her keen intuition combined with her careful scrutinizing of his movements, Kagami was way too fast for her, and before she knew it, he had blown past her. As she stumbled back, trying to find a stable footing on the solid surface that she knew should be there, she saw the other making a dunk out of her peripherals.

It wasn't that long ago that she had seen Kagami play basketball, but from the closed distance that Asagi had been allowed to move in to gape openly at the boy, still hanging off of the dangerously quivering rim, it was as if it lit a new flame inside of her. Admiration leaked into her normally stoic composition, and Kagami turned to grin at her as he let go of the hoop to let gravity guide his feet back to the ground.

"That was too easy," Kagami teased and tossed the ball to Asagi. She caught it, and the brush of her fingertips against the rough surface of the ball made her breath rush out, accelerating her heartbeat. "Your turn now."

The teal haired girl felt some kind of horrible premonition forming its existence in her stomach, mixing with the excitement of being able to touch a basketball. "Um, Kagami-kun, I don't think it's a good idea for me to do this." It was a known fact that she was recognized as _the_ safety hazard in gym class, and most people should have been aware. Clumsy and possessing low stamina, it wasn't a rare occurrence for her to become dizzy from the exertion and unknowingly crash into some innocent classmate. In fact, she had already caused three sprains and one dislocated elbow.

"Try," Kagami encouraged, but she suspected that he wasn't expecting too good of an outcome either. He'd probably have to carry her all the way back to her apartment afterwards, as she perceived that she was about to receive a concussion somehow in the very, _very_ near future. And she knew herself well enough to know her predictions about her own body was rarely wrong. Kagami definitely acquired the award of the year for having the absolutely _worst_ ideas possible.

Maybe his brunette coach was right all along, and that his head existed for decoration so as to not freak normal human beings out.

Asagi exhaled in resignation, lamenting silently as she turned, _not a good idea, not a_ _good idea_, and spotted a tanned figure staring across the court at her. His mouth hung open in unmasked shock, stupefied enough that even when Asagi met his gaze, Aomine didn't turn away. But somehow it didn't feel like he was really even looking at her, and instead that his eyes were piercing right throughher presence at something that only he could see.

Really, he needed to go to a therapist. Asagi could be quite enamoured with Kuroko Tetsuya, but boy, Aomine was _obsessed_.

Kuroko seemed more than adept at his role in the two's light and shadow duo than he probably let on, because frankly, the mysterious boy was like a plague, the ever prevailing shadow that the setting sun cast, trailing behind Aomine's body and imitating every movement of his as the other's feet shuffled around in confusion.

"What's wrong with him?" Kagami snickered a little, but Asagi kept her gaze steadily trained on Aomine. It was definitely in Aomine's nature to confront, but running away from his problems wasn't something Asagi could even imagine possible.

('Asagi wished that she had never thought what was on her mind right now plausible.')

She couldn't mask her surprise when Kagami decided to yell, "yo, Ganguromine! Wanna play?"

At Kagami's voice, Aomine jolted, seemingly lost for a moment before plastering a scowl on his face. "I'd beat you any day, don't get cocky with me."

The red haired ace snorted. "I didn't say anything about beating you, I'm just being friendly and polite, like the person I am. Now if you're gonna just bring your egoistic attitude in here, then go away."

"You're the one who invited me," Aomine snapped, words biting like the chilly wind that had begun to blow seconds ago. However, he added, after a brief glance at Asagi, "two-on-one, then. You and her against me."

Protests rapidly formed at the tip of her tongue, but Kagami retorted back, "fine! Just so you know, I can beat you even without Asagi's help." _Correction: I'm going to be more of an inconvenience than help_, she wanted to say, but clamped her mouth shut as Aomine and Kagami argued about the makeshift rules in the mini match.

She was invisible as she stood whipping her head back and forth between the two bantering boys, as she envisioned what sort of injuries she would likely cause in the short span of the game. It was even more encumbering to know that these were the aces of their respective school teams, so breaking an ankle or two would have even more severe consequences. Maybe if she kept clear of them altogether...

"First to six, I have to go do homework, you know!" Kagami shouted directly into the tanned power forward's face, the latter wiping spit from his eyes. That was true, and Asagi itched to tutor the other with his academics, but he never let her, probably thinking that he was burdening her or something.

"Who are you, Midorima?" Aomine grumbled, but nonetheless settled into position to guard Kagami. The redhead glared back, and Asagi was forgotten as he checked the ball to the other.

Kagami's brows furrowed in concentration, looking for good openings to get past. Asagi slipped below the hoop (or more importantly, _away _from bodies that could be potentially harmed), muttering just loud enough over the whoosh of the wind, "over here, Kagami-kun." It earned a good yelp from the said boy, and the sudden screech startled Aomine as well.

Using her lack of presence in sports to her advantage was something new, though it wasn't on purpose, but the game had stopped entirely while Kagami tried to calm himself down from his hysterics. "I seriously forgot you were there."

"Then please remember," Asagi drawled, noticing the way Aomine stared at her with no apparent emotion whatsoever from the corner of her eyes. Her mind conjured up the photo she had first seen of Aomine, Momoi, and Kuroko together, looking like best friends should. That Aomine didn't exist anymore, and Asagi longed to know how he was before, longed to have met him sooner.

Aomine didn't bother guarding her, even when a pass went successfully through into her hands, like he knew that she was harmless without Kagami. And he was correct, because despite numerable tries, she couldn't even make one shot. She couldn't shake off the feeling that Aomine's actions weren't based on instinct or on what he had judged from her playing thus far, but on something much more intimate.

('Light and shadow, light and shadow...')

In the end, Aomine still won the small match, because no matter what Asagi tried in coordination with Kagami, nothing worked when Aomine refused to leave Kagami unguarded, rendering the whole thing a one-on-one. Aomine picked up his schoolbag with an air of indifference, brushing past Asagi and Kagami with a curt, "see you. Maybe."

Another gust of cold air blew through the court, making the teal haired girl shudder as it rushed across her bare thighs. She watched Aomine's figure until he was inseparable from dozens of other people in the distance. Asagi turned around to see Kagami grimacing as he tossed the basketball to her so that he could get both their bags.

"Who does he think he is, 'see you, maybe'? We're definitely getting to the Winter Cup, that friggin' Ahomine can wait for us there," he continued to rant as they exited the court area. "I'm so beating him next time."

In hindsight, Asagi was just glad that she didn't get damaged on her head or hurt anyone in the last hour. Physically anyways, because who knows.

('Phantom sixth man...')

('A phantom...')

('Someone unnoticeable.')

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**A/N**: hi! I'm sorry to not have updated in a really long time, it's just so busy lately /creys. I'll probably be on a semi-hiatus thingy from now to the first week or so of July, and maybe even after that because I have a lot of basketball training in summer ;A; (if i never appear on this site again, you will know that i either died from a heatstroke or extreme torture of those freaking slave drivers)

and i had been planning to put this part in way earlier, but then i forgot about my original plot (haha kidding i had no plot)

thanks for sticking with me, and I apologize in advance for the lateness of everything. orz


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: Kuroko no Basuke belongs to Fujimaki Tadatoshi.**

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...

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_Someone You Once Knew_

_Ch. 8_

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He was shuffling home that evening with Momoi, who nagged him the entire time he tried to nap on the school's rooftop while ditching practice; Momoi, who was always, _always_ with him. Just that fact alone irked him ― the fact that she thought he needed watching over like a small child, a fact that was becoming more and more irritating. An unexpected pang of guilt smacked him right in the chest when he peered at his childhood friend, seemingly deep in thought as she kept her pace deliberately so that she was a few steps behind him.

He really would have liked her to walk beside him, not following, skipping and humming nameless tunes to herself like she did back in middle school, and then on his other side, there would be Kuroko sipping his vanilla shake quietly. His mind shifted to basketball, and how boring it had become.

Basketball really sucks.

Aomine kept contemplating his choices, quit or not quit. Contradiction overran his thoughts, weighing cause and effect. Eventually, he stopped thinking altogether.

They neared the street court near their apartment building, and he focused on keeping his gaze averted from the fenced area. Then he heard a ball, bouncing, bouncing, and he knew before he looked.

Again?

"What's up with _her_?" he muttered, voice audible just enough for Momoi's ears to pick up.

She glanced around in confusion before finally catching sight of the said girl. Her eyes lit up, and Aomine watched as she flounced over into the court to throw herself into Asagi. "Shizu-chan!"

The way she clung to the shorter girl and the way she squealed and the way that she almost_ shone_ with life and spirit and vigour was just another really, really annoying habit of hers. It wasn't directed at the right person, and it crossed Aomine's mind the possibility that from now on it would be Asagi Shizuka instead of Tetsu walking home with them. He had to mentally slap himself so that he'd remember that she didn't belong in that image.

"...trying something out lately," he heard as he neared the two. Asagi was panting slightly, but she was beaming like no tomorrow. Aomine could see the drool threatening to drip out of Momoi's mouth.

It was more disgusting than he would normally bother to note.

"Trying to start a team for the girls in Seirin?" Aomine drawled lazily, shoving his hands in his pockets to keep them from sight, just in case they decided to be unsteady that day. Momoi shot him a dirty look.

"No," Asagi replied, oblivious to both the exchange between the two and to Aomine's sarcasm. "I think I found a new technique for basketball. A style, if you may call it."

Aomine raised an eyebrow, inviting further explanation.

"I guess the best way would be to show you, then it would be easier to understand," the small girl tossed the ball to Aomine.

A shock ran down his spine, making him shudder as he caught the ball with a familiar zap sort of feeling, like electricity transferring its particles from the basketball into his hand, electrons wildly circulating his entire body.

If he hadn't been so surprised, Aomine wouldn't have been able to swallow down the tight feeling making its way up his throat and ensnared it inside his chest.

He wondered when the last time was when he felt that kind of adrenaline, different from the rush of excitement stimulated by a challenge.

(Maybe it was the last time that he received one of Tetsu's passes?)

"Oh?" was all he managed to input, before Momoi began to pester Asagi, "show me, show me!". Asagi, being the polite sort, merely nodded, and Aomine felt the compulsion to shove the peach haired girl away from her since she wasn't doing it herself.

His thought process was executing a routine from middle school again.

"Well, it would be slightly difficult as there are only the three of us..." Asagi took a few steps away. "Would it be alright if Momoi-san was to be against Aomine-kun and I?"

Momoi agreed, albeit questioningly with a sidelong glance at Aomine. He really didn't want to know what Asagi was up to, and anyways, he had better things to do than play around. With basketballs, no less. However, no one was actually looking for assent from him, and the two proceeded without consulting him.

"Pass to me, please, Aomine-kun," Asagi instructed before he turned on Momoi, assuming his position. "You'll know when."

Aomine flexed his hand, and the sound of the bouncing basketball resounded with a steady rhythm. It would be easy to blow by Momoi, but he waited.

(It always hurt to win one-on-ones nowadays, anyway.)

He could feel Asagi flitting around, but his eyes were on Momoi. She was glancing around for the other girl, not paying attention to Aomine at all, but she couldn't seem to find her, judging from that puzzled look. The practice of knowing Asagi's presence from her volleyball games kicked in, and Aomine kept himself hyper aware, which was probably the most interesting thing he's done all week. The seconds dragged on, until the ball rebounding against the cement began to synchronize with his heartbeats, resonating like a tangible version of the blood pounding in his eardrums. _  
_

It had been a long time. Kise was different, that adrenaline was so different.

His body shifted on instinct when tips of blue locks flashed into his line of vision, launching the ball at where he thought would be the right height level before back-cutting Momoi to the hoop, arm outstretched and waiting for the ball to be back in his possession again. He could a flash of a pale arm, and then when he felt the ball's rough surface against his palm, the exhilaration surged through him with every bit of giddiness and feeling of accomplishment that he had felt during the middle school days. His eyes reverted to where Asagi had been standing, only to find the space empty.

(That hurt too, seeing nobody there.)

His mind wasn't working, but his legs moved on their own to jump, and he reached for the basket with ball in hand. He slammed the ball in with more strength that he intende, the strength stemming from frustration more than anything else, and a tiny voice in the back of his mind whispers that this isn't right; not wrong, just not right.

He could feel Asagi's gaze on him, and when he turned to look at the two girls, Momoi was openly gaping, her eyes flitting back and forth between Aomine and Asagi. She looked more shocked than anything when she met Aomine's eyes, but he knew that she was going to go into mother hen mode.

'_I'm not a damn kid anymore. Why can't you just accept that_?' was what he wanted to say, probably out of spite to prove her wrong, but found that he couldn't form the words. He could feel Asagi expecting someone to break the stunned silence, the awkwardness rolling off of her like the remnants of the day's heat from the cement. '_I'm ok.'  
_

Was he?

Aomine didn't realize that he had been holding his breath until his body reacted for him and forced him to draw in oxygen. He managed to surprise himself by snapping the taut string of the situation, "well, that's something." He held back the urge to drizzle satire all over the phrase, because he could be mature sometimes, if to make a point to Momoi.

_I'm ok. I'm ok. _

He steadied his breaths, so concentrated on replaying those comforting words in his mind in an endless loop that he barely comprehended the things Asagi were saying in response.

"I had inspiration," Asagi's voice was punctuated by the honk of a car. Momoi seemed impressed.

"That's a unique style, Shizu-chan," she said, with something that sounded like awe in her voice, and then veered completely off topic to talk about a shopping spree just as Aomine decided to shut her droning out. Is she seriously amazed or is she a little disoriented about Asagi's style as well? He dribbled the ball absent-mindedly, frowning as he considered the whole oddness of meeting someone so similar to Tetsu, all the while focusing on inhaling and exhaling so he wouldn't do something stupid, like accidentally stop breathing.

Just when he was about to be fed up with the whole thing and was trying to decide whether or not he'd get bugged later for ditching, Momoi finally said,"well, I'm off to finish up my data analysis for the next team we're playing, so you two have fun playing. Walk her home, you'll be ok with that, right Aomine-kun?"

She's got to be kidding, that's pushing the limits. It's not like _he _wanted to come talk with Asagi in the first place. Aomine glowered at her, but she stared back as if she was only urging him to do so for his own well-being. Damn, she probably _was_ doing this on purpose.

_Say yes. _

He closed his eyes, sighing through his nose, and squeezed out what he hoped Momoi wouldn't deem as a lie. "I'm ok."

"...good, then."

His cracked an eye open to see that Momoi had already turned on her heels and walking away. He fixed his eyes on her hair until she mingled into the crowd of people crossing the street. Aomine turned to Asagi, a bit too numb to be thinking things through properly, and asked, "well, what was that inspiration?"

Asagi blinked owlishly and tilted her head up so that she could better meet his eyes. Instantly, he dreaded the way she looked at him. Her words were hauntingly blunt as she answered, "Kuroko Tetsuya-kun."

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**A/N:** idk how long i've been writing this for, but i just can't get it _right_. i'm sorry for that. and then i keep repeating things and concepts and i can't eeeeeek ;;;; (UGHHHHH I JUST WANNA LEAVE OUT THESE PARTS ALREADY I REALLY SUCK AT MULTI CHAPTERED FICS KK THERE'S STUFF CALLED PROGRESS AND I REALLY DON'T KNOW WTH THAT IS. like is it too slow-paced, too fast-paced? /crawls away to cry under the bed.)

i have some endings all thought out but they're all very troll-ish so forgive me this won't be updated in a while most likely ;-; also, I'll be going to china soon so that's also a factor in me dying off from this site lmao o-o'

but other than that, i'm really really sorry for the late update and thanks for sticking with me! ;A; (btw...season 2 pv...let's talk about kuroko's newly obtained guns shall we :'D andkise's gorgeous dunk i can't.) ahhhhh this week is so full of events sigh /STARES POINTEDLY AT THOSE WHO WENT TO AX OR KUROBAS CUP


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